Memories of Dziadka: Rural Life in the Kingdom of Poland 1880-1912 and Immigration to America

Book excerpt: This is the story of my grandfather – a very ordinary man. It covers his childhood in Poland, his immigration, and his life in America. He was a typical Polish immigrant, who immigrated to make a better life for himself. Compare his life to your ancestors. Use his life for clue that may help you understand theirs. My hope in writing this book is to share the information about the daily lives of the Polish people living in the rural areas of Poland. The book also describes some of the reasons for leaving Poland, the trek across Poland and Germany to the ports, the voyage across the North Atlantic, arrival in America and their life in their new country. I used my grandfather as the central figure in this book but this is not his biography. I used details of my grandfather's life but added accounts of other people to tell a complete life story. My grandfather was not a person whose accomplishments would be in history books. However, his life is an example of a typical Polish immigrant. I felt that tying the information to one person would make a more interesting story and easier to show the impact of various events had on our ancestor's life.